Zimmerman Acquittal Spurs Protests in Several Cities

Kat Crowe (L) and Melinda O'Neal comfort each other in front of the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center after learning George Zimmerman had been found not guilty

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

Protesters gathered in several cities across the country following the late acquittal of George Zimmerman Saturday night and held largely peaceful demonstrations in gatherings that ranged “from a few dozen to a couple hundred people,” reports the Associated Press. The big exception to the peaceful norm appears to have been Oakland, where some 100 protesters broke windows, vandalized cars, spray painted buildings and started small fires, according to the Oakland Tribune.

Protesters also gathered in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Atlanta, Washington, and New York. In Florida, “mostly subdued sadness, and no violence or large gatherings” were reported, according to Fox News. In San Francisco, protesters carried signs with slogans such as “The People say guilty” and “The whole system is racist,” reports Al Jazeera. In Washignton, protesters marched down U Street, then into Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights as the number of participants continued growing well after midnight, reports the Washington Post.

Daniel Politi has been contributing to Slate since 2004 and wrote the "Today's Papers" column from 2006 to 2009. You can follow him on Twitter @dpoliti.